


old friends drinking under foreign skies

by SearchingforSerendipity



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: A look into a friendship that probably isn't canon but might have been, And Let's be Honest, Gen, Varys could do with a friend, because Davos can basically befriend anybody, friendship-freeform, mostly I just wanted to write these two as friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 01:39:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4328853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SearchingforSerendipity/pseuds/SearchingforSerendipity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>When the letters come from Storm's End, a plea masked as a notice of reward for any who feeds the besieged garrison, Varys makes sure Davos is informed. There's no one he can trust half as well to outwit the Redwyne fleet and be deserving of the knighthood sure to follow, yes, but mostly he remembers the kind eyed boy who'd given the last of his food to an empty-hearted eunuch.<em></em></p><p>  <em>Davos, he knows, could never stand aside when people starve.</em></p><p> </p><p>A look into a friendship that never was, but could have been. Because you don't have to be a noble to matter, and there's always time for sharing a drink with an old friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	old friends drinking under foreign skies

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a little something I wrote, partly because Davos is awesome and deserves more love, and mostly because even Varys could use a friend, and who better than our favorite smuggler? Plus, both of these characters must have had some great adventures when they were kids. 
> 
> GRRM owns everything, I own the products of my imagination. It's not a bad deal.

Varys had an excellent memory,perfected over the years. It served him well in his endeavors,so that he remembers details of great importance, recalled the delicate information involved in blackmailing, manipulating and other such unpleasant activities necessary to keep the peace in the Seven Kingdoms. It also allowed him to keep a tally for all the many slights against him, maintaining every insult as fresh as the moment it was suffered. And if the unkind words of most had long lost their power over him, their intent to hurt is never forgotten, and neither is the influence they held.

Of course, this also means that Varys remembered the good deeds, few as they are. Princess Elia, for example, had been a kind and admirable lady, and if she had refused to run away, it only means Varys will guard her legacy all the harder.

There aren't many, but those who showed him rare respect do have a special place in his heart. A spider is not supposed to have favorites, but even one as experienced as Varys has a few exceptions. An indulgence, as it were.

Davos is Varys greatest indulgence.

A long time ago in a damp bravoosian warehouse, a young smuggler gave the last of his bread to a younger eunuch. For six moons, Varys and Davos were inseparable, two lost lads in a city that mirrors the world, exploring the darkest alleys , sampling life and cheating death. They shared food and knowledge and truths the way lonely children do,stealing and playing and surviving. To Varys, for whom kindness was a fickle and poisoned thing, and freely given generosity as foreign as Davos Flea Bottom's accent, it was a revelation. When the smuggling vessel Dancing Maiden ports in King's Landing under the shadows of a half-moon, it's with friendship and good wishes that the two parted.

For years after that, their meetings were irregular but anticipated. As Varys' influence over the extended, so did the chasm between their lives, and Davos' smuggling didn't lend itself to a steady lifestyle,but every once in a while Varys would change clothes and posture the way he learned in Tyrosh and meet with his old friend over a bottle of priceless Arbour Red, exchanging tales and jests, with the trusted understanding that certain secrets are better left unmentioned. Sitting in the bier, feet swinging over silvered water, Davos joked that Varys must be a far better smuggler than he to get such wondrous wine and Varys needled him about that carpenters daughter that had him sighing like lovelorn fool he was.

It's unusual and dangerous but it's friendship, the single most sincere thing in Varys's life.

Then, of course, Harrenhall happens, and Brandon Stark sparks and burns, setting fire to well oiled kindle. War is eminent, then a reality, King's Landing a boiling pot of intrigue and secrecy, held together by a spider's gossamer threads,and Varys has never been busier,or more in his element. Even then, he keeps an eye on Davos and his family, sweet Marya that teased Varys for embarrassing stories about her husband, on their bright lads with Davos' eyes ,always with a ready smile for their father's old friend.

Davos himself spends most of the war at sea, bringing much necessary food and bandages at easy prices. When the letters come from Storm's End, a plea masked as a notice of reward for any who feeds the besieged garrison, Varys makes sure Davos is informed. There's no one he can trust half as well to outwit the Redwyne fleet and be deserving of the knighthood sure to follow, yes, but mostly he remembers the kind eyed boy who'd given the last of his food to an empty-hearted eunuch. Davos, he knows, could never stand aside when people starve.

They meet again only years later, at Prince Joffrey's first name day feast, Davos short four fingertips and Varys in silks and soft slippers. Robert drinks, Stannis grinds his teeth and both smuggler and spider keep their distance, because even a knighthood and a lord's trust won in onion's can't make up for the chasm between their lifes.

Still, sometime during the night Red Arbour is poured, a priceless vintage from the king's own cellar, and for a moment they exchange a look, old friends in unfamiliar places. Varys tilts his glass just so, Davos inclines his head just the slightest bit,and together they drink in the memory of two lost boys who shared secrets under foreign stars.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, bookmarks and comments are always welcome.


End file.
